02-12-2008, 08:54 PM
Rafa,
Read this first:
'A Weekend With Ohio Conservative Friends'
This past weekend I traveled to Barnesville,Ohio to 'The Wider Gathering of Conservative Friends.'
I met people that before I had only known from their writings; Terry Wallace (from the New Foundation Fellowship), Arthur Berk, Seth Hinshaw, Nancy Hawkins, and Jack and Susan Smith, to name just a few.
I had never attended a gathering of Ohio Conservative Friends before, but I had heard many times about their tenderness and their Christ Centered focus.
Everything that I had heard was true.
I met Conservative Friends there from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, California, New York, Georgia, West Virginia, and Virginia, and Britian and India, as well!
The silent waiting upon the Lord meetings were absolutely the best times of vocal worship that I had ever shared with any other Quakers anywhere in the U.S.
On seventh day evening Jack Smith (with the help of his children) gave a really well done presentation on 'The Lamb's War'.
It was awesome!
We had good weather the whole time, and sitting inside the 18th century hand built (by olden Friends) Still Water Meeting House was a treat in itself.
The doors were opened to the outside, and as Still Water is out in the country, which brought nature into our worship as well.
Everyone had communal meals together at Olney School which is also on the grounds, and not so far away from Still Water Meeting House.
This too was quite a special feeling, of sharing meals with people who share so much of the same kind of Quakerism.
Everyone was exceptionally kind to everyone else and 'Plain Language' abounded.
I've never heard so many "Thee's" and "Thou's", and "Thy", as I heard this past weekend. :-)
About 3/4 of the folks there were 'Plain Dressers', and several of the women looked as though they had just walked directly out of 'The Presence in the midst' painting. It was truly amazing.
It gave me alot of thought over the way that most of us dress, and the counter-point to that, of 'Plain Dressing'.
I enjoyed myself immensely, and felt right at home, and found the language of Plainess really quite lovely!
I'll go back in two years for sure, for the next meeting of scattered Conservative Friends, and in the mean time, I'm considering trying to start a Christ Centered meeting here in our home town of Mason City, Iowa (if it be the Lord's leading.....which I feel that it is).
I especially want to thank Terry Wallace and the New Foundation Fellowship and The George Fox Fund for their very kind offer of a scholarship to help defray my traveling costs.
This was a simply wonderful Meeting that I will carry in my soul and spirit for a very long time, and in fact, I will consider Ohio Conservative Friends (at Barnesville)to be my 'spiritual home', from this point, onward.
In the Light of Christ,
Greying Quaker/Albion Guppy
Read this first:
'A Weekend With Ohio Conservative Friends'
This past weekend I traveled to Barnesville,Ohio to 'The Wider Gathering of Conservative Friends.'
I met people that before I had only known from their writings; Terry Wallace (from the New Foundation Fellowship), Arthur Berk, Seth Hinshaw, Nancy Hawkins, and Jack and Susan Smith, to name just a few.
I had never attended a gathering of Ohio Conservative Friends before, but I had heard many times about their tenderness and their Christ Centered focus.
Everything that I had heard was true.
I met Conservative Friends there from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, California, New York, Georgia, West Virginia, and Virginia, and Britian and India, as well!
The silent waiting upon the Lord meetings were absolutely the best times of vocal worship that I had ever shared with any other Quakers anywhere in the U.S.
On seventh day evening Jack Smith (with the help of his children) gave a really well done presentation on 'The Lamb's War'.
It was awesome!
We had good weather the whole time, and sitting inside the 18th century hand built (by olden Friends) Still Water Meeting House was a treat in itself.
The doors were opened to the outside, and as Still Water is out in the country, which brought nature into our worship as well.
Everyone had communal meals together at Olney School which is also on the grounds, and not so far away from Still Water Meeting House.
This too was quite a special feeling, of sharing meals with people who share so much of the same kind of Quakerism.
Everyone was exceptionally kind to everyone else and 'Plain Language' abounded.
I've never heard so many "Thee's" and "Thou's", and "Thy", as I heard this past weekend. :-)
About 3/4 of the folks there were 'Plain Dressers', and several of the women looked as though they had just walked directly out of 'The Presence in the midst' painting. It was truly amazing.
It gave me alot of thought over the way that most of us dress, and the counter-point to that, of 'Plain Dressing'.
I enjoyed myself immensely, and felt right at home, and found the language of Plainess really quite lovely!
I'll go back in two years for sure, for the next meeting of scattered Conservative Friends, and in the mean time, I'm considering trying to start a Christ Centered meeting here in our home town of Mason City, Iowa (if it be the Lord's leading.....which I feel that it is).
I especially want to thank Terry Wallace and the New Foundation Fellowship and The George Fox Fund for their very kind offer of a scholarship to help defray my traveling costs.
This was a simply wonderful Meeting that I will carry in my soul and spirit for a very long time, and in fact, I will consider Ohio Conservative Friends (at Barnesville)to be my 'spiritual home', from this point, onward.
In the Light of Christ,
Greying Quaker/Albion Guppy